I worked at Cracker Barrel all the way through college, and during my time there made massive amounts of hashbrown casserole. I will only say that this recipe is VERY close to the recipe we used at work. Some tips I learned from making it every day for six years: -- Mix all the ingredients (with the potatoes straight from the freezer) the day before, cover and refrigerate. Then bake it in a well greased pan right before serving. Makes dinner prep a whole lot easier, and the mixture will be more likely to stick together than to the pan. -- Don't "smush" it into the pan -- it'll turn out greasier and also stick to the pan. Instead, use a big spoon or spatula to fling dollops of the mixture into the pan. -- Colby cheese gives an extra Something over cheddar cheese. Highly recommend subbing.
I made this today and with some changes and it was excellent. I thawed the hash browns in a bowl in the microwave for about three minutes ( as mine were frozen when I wanted this and they seem to cook better as well), I used one whole stick of margerine melted, one whole container of sour cream( 16oz), omitted the onion ( overpowering) and the salt (soup and cheese both have enough). I mixed the soup, sour cream, shredded cheese, potatoes, margerine, pepper and a little bit of milk together until mixed. The milk makes it more creamy and less dry. I baked at 400 degrees in a very well greased pan ( grease grease grease the pan as this will stick bad--trust me on this) covered with foil for 30 minutes. I then melted a couple of tablespoons of margerine and mixed in a couple of handfuls of crushed corn flakes ( don't really need the extra margerine but I like it so I use it :)) remove foil from pan and sprinkle on top. Bake 10 more minutes or until cornflakes are well browned. This was delicious with the changes I made and next time I think I will use a can of cheddar cheese soup ( or southwestern cheddar soup) instead of the cream of chicken the recipe calls for. Granted these aren't the healthiest changes but I would rather eat a small amount of good rich food than a lot of so-so tasting stuff!
I have been making this for yrs. and reviewed it in the past. I have lightened it up for lifestyle changes that we have made in our family. I now use fat free cream of chicken soup and omit the butter, replacing it with fat free sour cream. I don't add any salt, use extra freshly ground pepper and about 1/2 the cheese, mixing some in the casserole and sprinkling the rest on the top! It is still delicious! MY 14 yr old daughter wouldn't touch it in the past,now she loves it.Do use a good sweet onion if possible!
Excellent recipe!! very good flavor - I did change 2 things - I used 2 cans of cream of chicken & mushroom soup because that is what I had on hand and I also added extra shredded cheese. This was even better the second time. I reheated what was left over in the oven at 350 uncovered. The top was nicely browned and slightly crunchy potatoes moist and the flavor was oh so awesome. Love this recipe - Thank you for sharing!!!
This is very good! I like it better than Cracker Barrel's version because their's is usually too greasy from sitting all day in a greasy pan. The only thing I did differently was cut the onion down to only 2T (I'm pregnant and am having a slight aversion to onions!). I also added one can of Campell's condensed cheddar cheese soup in addition to the cream of chicken soup because I love cheesy potatoes. My husband ate about 3/4 of the pan in one sitting! This is easy to prepare and very filling. Nice recipe that I recommend!
This is an excellent recipe, a perfect sidedish for baked chicken! The changes I made are : I added 8 oz of sour cream and took the butter down to 2 tbsps because of the grease. Everyone should try this!
All right ladies...
I been making this for Crackle Barrel for the past 12 years.
First thing...
This has to sit in the walk in for 18 to 24 hours... We always prepare this for the next day..
This recipe is real close.
The people saying it's to greasy from the butter.. It's not the butter rookies... We use Colby shredded cheese ... When you add cheddar cheese and you cook it in the oven it melts mixing with the butter causing the oil from the cheddar and the butter to combine making it seem like the butter is making it greasy.....
So here the trick .... Mix your potatoes and the melted butter with... you ready.... Its not cream of chicken sweetheart.. We use cream of celery but with a twist.. Trade secret...
Mix all together put in oven at 475 for 12 minutes. take out and put back in container with lid and put in refrigerator for 18 hours... What happens is the potatoes starts absorbing the butter and the cream of _____ from 12 minutes at 475.... causing fast absorption and fast cool down in the refrigerator giving 18 hours of basically potatoes being marinade...
Put back in oven at 450 for 30 minutes uncovered. Then after
30 minutes take out and cover the top with a layer of colby cheese 500 for 10 minutes. Take out let cool until we start serving Believe it or not that casserole when u order it is put in microwave for 40 sec before we server it..... That is exactly how we make it..... You want to have fun with the cooks next time you go to the barrel say this,, " I'll
As is, this recipe is very greasy and too salty. I cut the butter in half and left out the salt. Added a little sour cream and green onions over the top, then sprinkled with crushed cornflakes to add texture. Very good! My guests at brunch loved it!
I served this at my Mother's Day brunch and everyone loved it!
So I have made this a few times and to be honest, I think that the recipe on the side of the hashbrowns I buy is better. I won't be making it again, its not bad at all but its just not the best.
